Sharp and Sharper. Roronoa Zoro x (fem OG) reader // One Piece fanfiction

zozo's past coming up

Zoro was put up on a spinning board, tight ropes around his wrists and ankles. Nami and I were each in a separate little cage. No one seemed to be around. I guess everyone will be at the grand finale. I have high hopes for Luffy though. He is tough. The toughest I know. He won't give the map to them.

Zoro tried to escape to ropes around his wrists. "That won't work, you know? They're too tight." Nami said. "I've gotten out of worse," Zoro said, continuing. "You will only burn yourself from friction. To free your hand from these thick ropes, you'd have to dislocate your thump." I chimed in. I didn't want him to get hurt or waste his energy. He stopped with a huff. I think he knows I only mean for his best. But I also know he is trying to figure out how to dislocate his thump. Luckily it is nearly impossible for him to do that with barely any room to move. He'd have to do it with his thump himself and incredible strength. I don't think he'll do that to himself. Although, you know, he just might- "Oh right, you're still here. Almost didn't notice since you didn't say a word back in the circle." Why is Nami mad at me? What could I possibly have said to better the situation? I would love to talk back at her. What, did her attempt help us at all? If I remember correctly, it almost even worsened our situation. She really just cared for herself and tried to run. "Well, I didn't have anything good to contribute to the conversation," I say calmly. I'm not going to lose my cool over something as simple as that. She just huffed, probably with an eye roll, and started telling us about what she saw outside. She was scared. Trembling in her voice. I almost felt bad. Almost.
"You mean after you made a run for it and left us to be killed." Exactly Zoro! Tell her what she did!

Nami got defensive again, trying to explain herself but it didn't serve her any favors. They bickered for a bit as I scanned the surroundings again. "I know your type," Zoro said. "There's nothing to gain and you're out." That's how I think of her as well actually. "Yeah? Says the wandering bounty hunter. Trading lives for a handful of berries." She spat back. Honestly, if I didn't know Zoro before, I probably wouldn't think of him that highly either. I give her that. We don't know much about each other yet. "I serve a purpose," Zoro answered bluntly. Oh yeah? Is that still the same purpose you left the village with? I don't remember Kuina even knowing about bounty hunters. "And what about you, huh? You can't be much better with your swords. Are you a bounty hunter as well?" Nami looked at me. She thinks she knows me so well. I'm not as much of an open book as Zoro or Luffy are. "No." I simply answer. She huffs again, expecting more. So, I give her more. "I am here, like Luffy, to follow a dream, a promise even, that I have set my mind to. I do wield swords, but that makes me no bounty hunter. I am a swordswoman and no less than that." Almost got sucked up in a rant. But I don't want her to know too much. I don't trust her. And I have multiple reasons for that. That's why I shut up to just leave it at that. Zoro looks a bit hurt. Likely because of how I put bounty hunter and swordswoman in one sentence. Makes bounty hunters seem less worthy of the title swordswomen or swordsmen in that case. I mean, I do think that way, I just don't want him to think I see him as anything less than a highly skilled swordsman.

There was a short silence. Everyone was a little mad at the others.
"I think I can get us out of here," Nami announced. "You mean get yourself out of here?" Zoro asked. "That's fair, but I'm going to need you to trust me." Zoro and I huff at that. "Just like a thief. Lie to my face and expect me to believe her." "Well, do you have any other chance?" She spoke. "She's right." Zoro looked at me and nodded. "Fine. Just tell us your plan." "Let's continue on what we have done before. Keep a lookout to make sure we're alone." She used a lockpick to try and open the lock to her cage. "You have a lockpick!" Zoro stated the obvious. "I have four lockpicks," Nami said smugly. "They only found three." "Very nice!" I smile at her.

Luffy's screams fill the air. We're all scared for him. "Better work faster," Zoro said.
I try to focus on the voices coming from the circus ring, where he had to leave Luffy and Buggy. It's too quiet, or too far. I can only hear Buggy's mad screams every once in a while. I think he doesn't actually know where the map is so he is trying to get Luffy to talk. But I get the feeling that there's more to it. It's way too much trouble over there.

Nami sighs deeply. "What?" Zoro questioned in a dark tone. I turn my head to listen in on them. "This is my life now." She said sadly. "As someone who has four lockpicks, I am surprised it's a change at all for you. She shoots a look in my direction and Zoro lets out a short breath for a laugh.

"Someone's coming," Zoro said. "Well, I need more time. Keep them talking." Nami orders. Zoro looks at me but I shake my head. I'm not a very good talker. I'm not going to do that. "I don't talk. I hit things." Zoro said to Nami. "That's too bad." She spoke.

Some guy with an edgy side buzz cut rode into the room on his unicycle.
„Remember me?" he asked Zoro. Zoro looked at him but it didn't seem to ring a bell. "No" he answered bluntly. „Must be some other homicidal unicycle-riding clown." So he's a jokester now... Mister unicycle hit the spinning board right next to his chest. Threads like that don't work on Zoro. Never did. He's not scared of pain. At least on himself he is not. He didn't even flinch. He looked the man dead in the eyes. His face is close to Zoro's head.
„I've been thinking about you for years. About how you killed my brother." A pressuring silence set in. „I killed a lot of pirates." Zoro said. There was a bit of shame in his voice. Maybe even his face.

„My name is Cabaji and a couple of years ago you hunted us across our kingdom. Day and night, never relenting like some kind of demon." The silence pressured again. Zoro took a little look at me. I don't think he wanted me to know too much about how he had spent the past couple of years. Cabaji followed Zoro's look and walked towards me, but I think he suspected something with Nami right next to me since she's the only one who has turned her back to him. Before he could see or say anything, Zoro spoke again. „Still not ringing a bell." I could see the blood boiling in the veins of that unicycling clown just by the look on his face. He shot a dagger next to Zoro's head on the board. Quite precise, I must say. I almost applauded. „You cut off his head, stuffed it in a bag all for a few berries." I could hear a lump forming in Cabaji's throat. "Okay, that does sound like me," Zoro admitted. "Let's see if you can keep your head," Cabaji warned and retreated. He spun the wheel to which Zoro is still attached, resulting in him spinning with it. This can't be good. Cabaji collected his knives and stood right in front of me, facing Zoro.

He started throwing knives. I tried to grab Cabaji's shirt and attack him from behind, but I just couldn't reach him. I couldn't see Zoro, merely the clicking sound of the spinning wheel. I don't think he's been hit yet. The sound heard was the knife hitting only the wood. "You really don't fear death," Cabaji said. He sounded genuinely surprised and walked a step closer to him. "No. I just don't fear you." Another knife was thrown.

"You know, I'm gonna enjoy this." Cabaji smiled. "As tempting as that sounds, I'm not sticking around." Zoro opened his eyes again. "Got somewhere to be?" "Didn't used to think so." Zoro looked past Cabaji at me. "That has changed now." I think I just got a little blush on my cheeks. But this is no time to get sentimental. I look over at Nami and see how she's almost done.

"That straw-hat moron? Don't tell me you actually believe in him." Cabaji was about to laugh when he was met with Zoro's serious demeanor. "We don't need to. He believes in himself. It rubs off." Cabaji starts laughing loudly. With his movements, I can take a look at Zoro's doing. He is using the knife Cabaji threw right at his wrist, in between the rope's loops. He might be very precise with his throw, but clearly didn't really think it through. Zoro is almost freed, when he tells Cabaji not to turn around. Of course, he does, like the idiot he is.
I smile and wave at him as Nami turns up and punches him. He falls back into Zoro's headlock, holding him tight. Nami frees Zoro first, who lets go of the now unconscious pirate. They walk over to me to free me, and I realize there has been a steady sound of water flowing. I only just realized, because it has now risen in the amount of water pressured to flow out the pipe.

"Now, what are we gonna do next?" Zoro barely finished his sentence as I exclaimed "To rescue Luffy! I think they're about to drown him!" Zoro grabbed our fighting gear as Nami picked the lock.

Each of us took our weapons. "I say, let'skick the hell out of every clown we see." Nami smiled at Zoro. Zoro smiledback. I think this is the first time I see Zoro smile since Kuina has passed. Butwhen I think about it, he did smile. He smiled even wider when he realized we were still friends, merely a couple of hours ago. We took off to where I heard thewater come from.